The finalists of the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards 2021 have been announced today after another record year of entries. 

Now, in their 8th year, the RIDI Awards celebrate pioneering employers and recruiters who, as we return to a very different working world, are safeguarding and progressing opportunities for disabled job seekers through accessible and equitable employment policies and processes.

RIDI is a unique initiative to lead change in recruitment by encouraging and supporting recruiters and businesses to remove the barriers faced by the millions of disabled job seekers particularly at a time when many organisations are recruiting to fill a high number of vacancies. 

Head judge Jane Hatton commented:

“The breadth, diversity and calibre of finalists in the 8th annual RIDI Awards actively demonstrates the progress being made in the UK towards greater disability inclusion. Our Awards celebrate the very best of disability confident recruitment and I would like to congratulate all the finalists, who have made it through to the final round of judging. These are stories of best practice and success that should inspire the recruitment industry to continue to take the necessary steps to recruit back better and put disability confident recruitment at the top of the agenda.”

Look out for the virtual awards ceremony on 3rd December. 

2021 RIDI Awards finalists in alphabetical order:

Best Inclusive Recruitment Campaign

·       Business as Usual

·       GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway)

·       ViacomCBS

·       Zero2Hero Apprentice Scheme

Disability Confident

·       Atkins

·       Becoming Disability Confident Leader

·       Network Rail Disability Matters Programme

·       Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Disability Specialist

·       C Talent

·       Patchwork Hub

·       Pembrokeshire Supported Employment Team

·       The SAMEE Charity

Getting Started

·       Mace Group – Enabled at Mace ERG

·       North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Learning Disability Expert by Experience Recruitment

·       PageGroup

·       Travelers Europe

·       UNIQLO Europe Limited

Inclusive Recruiter of the Year

·       Beth Kume-Holland and Patchwork Hub Team

·       Civil Service Fast Stream and Emerging Talent Team

·       North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Learning Disability Expert by Experience Recruitment

·       PageGroup

·       TPP Recruitment

Making a Difference – Private Sector

·       Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra JV

·       Financial Times Early Careers Programmes

·       Steve Mills, DPD UK

·       Utilita

Making a Difference – Public Sector

·       Go East Young Man (and Woman)!

·       Improving Experiences of Disabled Staff

·       North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Learning Disability Expert by Experience Recruitment

·       Searching for the Best!

Recruiting Back Better

·       Ability Above All Else

·       Guidant Global

·       myInterview

·       Patchwork Hub

·       Recruiting for Diversity

SOURCE

Alison Handling is proud to announce that following the latest round of judging, that they have made it through to the final of the BIBAs 2021 in the small business category.  

The BIBAs is a celebration of some of the most exciting companies and entrepreneurs based in Lancashire, showcasing their success stories, and highlighting Lancashire’s position as a world-class business community. The BIBAs is Lancashire’s most prestigious and longest running business awards programme and is run by the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. Since 2008, thousands of entrepreneurs have entered the BIBAs, and they have welcomed over 10,000 guests to their renowned annual ceremony.

Alison Handling is up against GRP55 T/A Group55, Nextday Freight Ltd, Nutree Life Ltd, Nybble IT, SR Supply Chain Consultants Ltd, Training Works (NW) Ltd and Vital Life Nutraceuticals at the nail-biting finale. 

This year the awards ceremony is taking place at The Blackpool Tower Ballroom, in Blackpool on 17th September.  Renowned for welcoming the biggest names in world entertainment, previous guest speakers include Eamonn Holmes, Russell Watson and Lulu to name but a few and this year’s BIBAs ceremony is an event not to be missed.

The judges include some of the best business minds in Lancashire and the UK. Every category has experts relevant to that individual sector. The process of making a successful entry is itself much more than submitting a paper entry and a short conversation. For finalist businesses, the ‘BIBAs on tour’ model saw the judges visit the business on-site to get a first-hand look and feel about how the business operated. By entering, Alison Handling is already testing themselves against the best in the business and being shortlisted is an achievement in itself.

Glenn Broomfield, managing director of Alison Handling said “as clearly the most prestigious business awards in the area, we are overjoyed to have been selected and shortlisted for this fantastic award and shows how far we have come as a business over recent years. I am particularly thrilled for all the staff here at Alison Handling and the recognition this brings to all their hard work through these challenging times.”

Alison Handling is the Uk’s largest independent stockist of new plastic storage boxes, plastic boxes, plastic trays, plastic skips, plastic totes, plastic pallets and plastic pallet boxes. At Alison Handling, we are proud of our reputation for the right product, at the right price, at the right time, promptly delivered from stock, coupled with an enviable level of customer service. Alison Handling is also environmentally responsible, and all our plastic storage solutions are fully recyclable.

SOURCE

A leading UK logistics company will be opening another three offices as demand for speedy delivery services surges. 

The announcement comes in the wake of a national driver shortage that is being felt countrywide. 

Recruitment website Totaljobs UK said they had seen a rise in driver job requests since February.

Data shows that in July 2020, about 5 561 delivery driver search queries were performed compared to almost 20 000 similar search queries in 2021. 

A spokesman for the site said that these figures were more than four times higher than in the same period in 2020 and three times higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

During the week 16 to August 22, over 4 000 driving or delivery roles were advertised on the site.

According to Google Trends, the week of August 30 to September 6 saw a spike in driver job search queries. 

Ongoing driver shortages – in all sectors such as long-haul trucking, courier, and retail – have led to delivery delays across several retail sectors. 

Pegasus Couriers operations manager Phil West, 50, said that the driver shortage had impacted most businesses in the logistics industry. “We were fortunate enough to be able to flex our recruitment approach and adapt. However, the entire industry is feeling a shortage of drivers. It is a concern for all in the sector. Year on year, we have seen an increase in deliveries but a decrease in drivers for each job. We are expecting a busy season with the pre-Christmas shopping starting around the end of September.” 

The move to increase the company’s reach comes as forecast predictions show an increase in online post-pandemic shopping, particularly before the festive season.

In the build-up to Christmas last year, Pegasus Couriers delivered around 42 000 parcels a day, totalling more than 300 000 a month.

The provider’s operations currently cover Scotland, Ireland, and the north of England. 

The three new operations will be near Belfast, Warrington on Manchester’s outskirts, and Jarrow outside Newcastle. 

Pegasus Couriers Director Martin Smith,56, said that all logistics businesses were scrambling to find drivers, mostly picking staff from the same shrinking resources pool.

Smith added that several hospitality and retail workers signed up as temporary delivery drivers during the lockdown, but several left to return to their pre-pandemic jobs. “The recruitment websites figures prove our point. Our recruitment teams are seeing an increase in applicants from the end of August; however, we have also embarked on a more multi-platform advertising campaign.”

Kilo Health is not an ordinary company, and nor are its HR practices – the company has a Chief Vibe Officer! It’s all about values as skills can be acquired, but talent and emotional intellect are much harder to come by. 

With Big Tech and startups growing at a rapid pace, there is an ever-greater shortage of programmers and other IT-related staff all over the world, especially in the U.S. and Europe. Some companies however are dealing with it better than others. “We simply love our people and it’s all about them.

This is the reason why there are almost no employees who have left voluntarily”, says Tadas Burgaila, co-founder and CEO of Kilo Health, one of the world’s leading digital health and wellness companies, boasting more than 500 employees. Kilo Health has grown from 7 to 500 bright talents in just three years. In fact, if employees refuse an offer from another company, they get a T-shirt with “I said no” written on it. And in Kilo Health’s office, there are quite a few people proudly wearing those T-shirts. 

Speaking about the success of the company, Kilo Health’s CEO emphasizes that “team” is key, and this has been the focus from the outset. The company’s HR philosophy comes from its founders and it’s pretty simple but effective: “it is not a new employee who should be glad that we accepted them, it is us who should be happy that we have found another talent with values in line with ours, and who has come to work with us.” 

Legend of San DiegoTadas recounts a story of how Kilo Health’s Personnel Manager, later becoming the Experience Manager, joined the company.In its first expansion phase, when Kilo Health’s team reached almost 60 people, the company still did not have a Personnel Manager.

The CEO himself had done most of the screening and hiring. But with every new employee, it was getting harder and harder to juggle HR duties with CEO’s day-to-day business operations. “At the time, I had about 30 job interviews for the Personnel Manager position. But I failed to find a staff manager with an attitude that matched ours or was at least close to it.

Then, one day we were chilling in the café with colleagues, and I noticed a bartender who was able to take care of everyone, topping up cups, telling jokes, and chatting casually with strangers. I thought – that’s the kind of HR person I want. We talked and set up a meeting, and when he said goodbye, he showed us a T-shirt that had “San Diego” written on it.

Coincidentally, colleagues flew there the next day for a marketing conference. On Monday morning we shook hands and Artūras Pronicevas became our Personnel Manager. Somehow his nickname “San Diego” stuck”, smiles Tadas. Soon enough Artūras got a new title and job description – Experience Manager, tasked with making the staff happy. “So that’s that. I’m the Experience Manager or “Chief Vibe Officer” at Kilo Health. My job is to create a good atmosphere – a sort of vibe – at work and make sure everyone has everything they need. Plus I organize awesome events, and make sure that everyone feels welcome at our office”, says Artūras. Chief Vibe Officer also has a lot to do with HR. The company accepts around 50 newcomers every month.

Most companies send a newcomer package (if they have one) through a courier. Arturas delivers it to everyone in person and dedicates at least an hour of conversation to allay fears, clarify expectations, etc. “Our company is our people and this is the key rule that makes us who we are,” adds Tadas. 

A second chance for juniors Kilo Health, of course, has all the perks modern startups offer, like football tables, gaming consoles, and a hot tub. But the company also offers free courses, which, according to Justė Vižinytė, Kilo Health’s Chief People Officer, attracts a lot of talent for junior positions.  “For people who don’t pass our job interview process or just have too little experience for the position, we suggest applying to Kilo Health’s Academy, which we started last winter. We have a few different courses.

This time around it’s IT and online marketing. We prepare influencers and performance specialists for Facebook and Google ecosystems”,  Justė explains. She adds that there are more candidates than places. It’s probably because, after training, the best are offered a position. So for many, it’s like a second shot at the job. Although around 98% of Kilo Health’s staff are vaccinated, the company is embracing a hybrid work model.”

COVID taught us how to work remotely. All of our employees can now choose to work in the office and mingle with teammates. But if you are better off working from home – go ahead, work from home”, says Kilo Health’s Chief People Officer. The bottom line is it’s best to keep an open mind when hiring because skills can be acquired. Talent and emotional intellect are much harder to come by.

Kilo Health GroupKilo Health is one of the leading digital health and wellness companies globally, that not only attracts talent to join its fast-growing team but also co-founds and accelerates start-ups in a rapidly growing digital health industry. With 4+ million paying users worldwide (the majority in the United States), as well as strong technology and a digital marketing platform, Kilo Health provides unparalleled opportunities for entrepreneurial talents and visionaries to build the digital health products of the future. Kilo Health was founded to design the most engaging and effective digital lifestyle interventions that lead to a healthier life by preventing, managing, or treating various health conditions. By continuously seeking new opportunities, co-founding, and accelerating prospective next-gen products, Kilo Health has grown from 7 to 500 bright talents in three years and aims to become the most-loved digital health and wellness product suite globally.

Efficiency and simplicity in buying and sending items to clients are essential factors for wholesale buyers when looking for business owners to work with. That is why it is critical to consider the advantages of dropshipping. Dropshipping wholesale customers will provide you with an edge over competitors who do not.

“Dropshipping is a service given by some Wholesalers,” according to Worldwide brands. You don’t have to bother about stocking or shipping items when you utilize a Drop Shipping Wholesaler. Instead, when you get a client order, you contact your wholesaler, who will send it to your customer on your behalf. As a merchant, this means you may sell a wide range of items without ever having to stock any inventory.

Benefits of Dropshipping

1. Increase the number of consumers

Wholesale customers can sell your items directly to their consumers by displaying them in their physical or online storefronts. You will be able to indirectly extend your market and reach more clients as an internet company owner; otherwise, you would not be able to if you had not connected with wholesale purchasers.

2. You will save money, effort and time.

Working with wholesalers that have a solid customer base saves you money, effort, and time.

“Most people who begin their first online company via auctions or online stores don’t have a lot of money or the room to warehouse and store the items they wish to sell online,” Oceantailer emphasizes. Working with a real Dropshipper will save you a lot of money in this area. When consumers buy your items, merchants display them in their online shop and send you an invoice. You send the items from the warehouse to the customer’s address when the merchant confirms the orders. Both you and the wholesale customer saved time by completing this order fulfillment process.

Dropshipping with eCommerce saves wholesale purchasers money since they only pay for items that have already been sold. For producers, this implies more significant sales, product movement, and orders fulfilled. It’s a win-win situation for you if you work with trustworthy wholesale buyers who are also trying to enhance their earnings. Having additional wholesale buyers will improve your sales and profits in this way.

3. Adaptability

The dropshipping concept allows for flexibility that would otherwise be impossible. Wholesalers may do business from anywhere and anytime as long as they have access to the Internet.

Buyers can connect directly with manufacturers or business owners while also communicating with customers over the Internet.

It allows merchants to work with various wholesale suppliers and sell more items to their consumers, giving them greater freedom. Because there is greater product mobility, manufacturers have more freedom.

4. Use of leverage

The ability to multiply your money, time, and effort is leverage in the business. You’ll be able to focus on building connections with wholesale clients if you provide dropshipping to them.

The load between the merchant and the supplier is balanced by having reputable and dependable dropship wholesalers that will perform the shipment for you.

Food of Thought

For sure, starting up a dropshipping business is not very difficult as many people may perceive it; you only need your computer or even a mobile and very little capital to start this kind of business. Due to the positive trends in technology, most people tend to migrate to online business; mobile online casinos are also following the trend. This could be because most people spend their time online, and reaching your target is very easy.